If there is one good thing about the Beijing Olympics, it is the issues brought to light as a result of their location. One of the most important is the status of Tibet, a problem that has been around for decades (though often without the public spotlight). Sensing an opportunity to bring their plight to the attention of the world once more, Tibetan protesters have taken advantage of the fact that the world's eyes are on China and staged an increasing number of protests. The fact that the United States is unable to put any sort of pressure on China for human rights reform is indicative of a much larger problem in Sino-American relations.
The crisis in Darfur has received a great deal of attention from the U.S. media, and it has become the new fad foreign policy issue. While the struggle of the Darfuri people is very real and should not be overlooked, the Tibetan issue is no less dire, and it has the added trouble of being decades old.
Estimates of casualties in Tibet resulting from the Chinese occupation range from a conservative 200,000 to the Central Tibetan Administration's figure of 1.2 million, though the fact that many thousands of Tibetans fled the region makes it difficult to take this into consideration.
There is more to the story than simply casualties, though. Since taking control of Tibet, the Chinese have gone about systematically destroying the Tibetan way of life - from the government to their religion. Tibetan Consul B. John Zavrel says more than 6,000 monasteries have been destroyed during China's occupation of Tibet. The Chinese government has also placed severe restrictions upon the practice of Tibetan Buddhism, including limits on the number of monks who may be present in a monastery.
Zavrel estimates 17 percent of Tibet's population have died - a figure perilously close to genocide numbers. The Chinese have worked hard at cultural imperialism, resettling Chinese citizens within Tibet in an attempt to further strengthen its claim to the region. The Dalai Lama, spiritual and state leader of the Tibetan people, has traveled the world attempting to raise awareness and support for Tibet.
All of this seems to be exactly the sort of issue on which the United States would usually take action. So why has the world's only superpower remained quiet about this for over five decades?
The answer is evident in the United States' trade practices. Since China became industrialized, its lax human rights laws have allowed employers to pay laborers obscenely low wages to work in terrible conditions. This, of course, means lower prices for U.S. consumers and increased trade between China and the United States.
In fact, trade has increased so much that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, we now enjoy a trade deficit with China of over $256 billion annually. Add the fact that the United States is already in debt and must sell treasury bonds to balance that debt. China has taken this opportunity as well, purchasing over $400 billion in treasury bonds. It would not be in China's interest at all to call these notes now, but it is conceivable that at some point China might be economically strong enough to risk it.
What should be done? That will be up to our next president. Unfortunately, having posed this question to four presidential candidates and received not a single solid answer, it does not seem to be at the forefront of our government's mind. As the Olympics continue to put additional pressure on China and bring issues such as Tibet to the public's attention once more, hopefully it will be only a matter of time before people demand to know why the United States is unable to take action.
Shane Carley is a freshman in the School of International Service and a conservative columnist for The Eagle.
